Overturned Cargo Ship Off Georgia Coast Stuck On Its Side, Leaking Fuel

The Golden Ray cargo ship was carrying more than 4,000 new cars when it capsized off the coast of Georgia last month. The crew survived, but the 656-foot ship is still there, lying half-submerged at about 90 degrees, on its side.

Despite lots of effort, it’s been leaking an unknown amount of fuel and oil, which has local environmental advocates and commercial fishermen concerned. Oil has been found in sheens in the water, in bits on some beaches and in the marsh itself, indicated by black stains on the spartina grass.

Crews in yellow protective suits have been working 12 hours a day trying to mitigate the effects of the oil, setting up thousands of feet of containment boom, spraying sphagnum moss, a peat absorbent on the grass to keep it from sticking to other surfaces and animals, and removing already dead, oiled marsh grass.